Thomas Smith·Sep 10Member-onlyGoogle’s HQ Has a Strange Creature as its MascotYou Can Visit Him for Free — You might expect the Mountain View, California headquarters of Google to be a serious, business-like place. Google is one of the world’s largest companies after all, and it controls about 90% of the search engine market. But Google’s HQ is anything but boring. Case in point: Stan. Who or what…Google3 min readGoogle3 min read
Thomas Smith·Aug 15Member-onlyThis Kid Paradise Hasn’t Changed Since the 90s, and It’s AmazingNo farm to table here — If you grew up in the 90s, you almost certainly remember having this experience. You piled into the car with your family members and drove across town to a super exciting place. When you arrived, an adult stamped your hand with a stamp you couldn’t see, for reasons you didn’t…Culture4 min readCulture4 min read
Thomas Smith·Aug 10Member-onlyPHOTOS: The Beauty of Lahaina, Maui Before the FiresI’ve photographed the Maui town for 7+ years — Devastating wildfires have nearly completely destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, Maui in Hawaii, leaving Front Street and other popular areas of the town decimated. As a professional photographer who has photographed Lahaina multiple times over the years, I was deeply saddened to hear what had happened to the town…World4 min readWorld4 min read
Thomas Smith·Jul 10Member-onlyThose Big Haystacks You See Beside the Highway Are Worth A Surprising AmountOn a recent drive from Santa Rosa, California back to my home in Lafayette, we drove through the beautiful, rural parts of Solano County. Passing by fields, we saw stack after stack of giant hay bales dotting the landscape. That prompted a question: Why do farmers go through the trouble…Farming3 min readFarming3 min read
Thomas Smith·Mar 21Member-onlyWe Need to Stop Complaining About Air TravelIt’s like a magical teleportation machine that transports you anywhere in the world — We’ve all heard or participated in conversations complaining about the inconveniences or frustrations of air travel, sometimes even taking it for granted. But have you ever stopped to consider just how magical it is? In our modern world, getting on a plane and arriving at a new destination halfway across…Travel3 min readTravel3 min read
Thomas Smith·Mar 9Member-onlyHow to get from San Francisco to SFO Airport (Local’s Advice)Three good options — San Francisco International Airport is technically in San Francisco, but in reality it’s nowhere near downtown. SFO is located about a 30 minute drive (in good traffic) south of the city, on the Peninsula. …Travel5 min readTravel5 min read
Thomas Smith·Mar 9Member-onlyWhat It’s Like to Use a Robot BaristaRobots make shockingly good coffee — If you’re flying out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and heading through Terminal 3, you now have a new option to skip the morning coffee rush: purchase a latte prepared and served by a robot. CafeX, a robotic barista company, has a robot coffee shop kiosk right past security…Robot3 min readRobot3 min read
Thomas Smith·Jan 9Member-onlyThis Lafayette Bookstore is Co-Owned by a RabbitOne owner of Lafayette, California’s Bel and Bunna books is a delightful, knowledgeable woman named Bel, with a British accent and a deep knowledge of books. The other owner is a stuffed rabbit. That’s the kind of whimsy that you’ll find in abundance at this small independent bookstore. Bel and…San Francisco Bay Area2 min readSan Francisco Bay Area2 min read
Thomas Smith·May 12, 2022Member-onlyReview of Starbucks Chocolate Cream Cold BrewStarbucks has been busy this Spring, dropping all kinds of new drinks including their popular Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso (try saying that five times fast.) This week, they launched another new drink, the Chocolate Cream Cold Brew. I stopped by the Starbucks in Lafayette, California to grab the…Starbucks4 min readStarbucks4 min read
Thomas Smith·Mar 2, 2022Member-onlyReview of the Starbucks Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken EspressoIt’s a new vegan, plant-based drink from Starbucks for Spring — Yesterday, Starbucks launched a new plant-based drink, the Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. I stopped by the Starbucks in Lafayette, California to check it out on the first day it dropped. I love stopping by Starbucks’ drive-throughs all over the East Bay. It’s an easy way to grab a…Food4 min readFood4 min read
